Thomas Mor Headed For Reynoldstown En Route To Festival Bid

Thomas Mor might prove he is the forgotten horse in the beginner chasing department when he heads to Ascot for the Injured Jockeys Fund Ambassadors Programme Reynoldstown Novices' Chase on Saturday.


Philip Hobbs and Johnson White's course winner was 2nd to Kitzbuhel in the Kauto Star Novices' Chase on Boxing Day and having actually seen Kempton 3rd, Wendigo, and 4th, Salver, frank the type because, connections are resilient ahead of this Grade Two occasion which might function as a springboard to the Cheltenham Festival.


White stated: "The kind has actually been boosted since Christmas, I was very shocked when taking a look at the Brown Advisory betting to see he is 100-1 and a few of the horses that have actually lagged him and not too far in front are single figures.


"He's in great form and schooled well on Tuesday early morning and returns to Ascot which is a course he won well at on his penultimate start. Conditions should fit and he's 10lb higher than anything else on ratings so we need to be confident.


"We'll get Saturday out the way first before we believe about Cheltenham but at the moment we are believing of the Grade One.


"This has actually always been the race we had in mind for him after Kempton and we're quite anticipating the track we are taking."


Thomas Mor has clever course form (Andrew Matthews/PA)


Hobbs and White could also be represented at Ascot by the well-regarded Starzand in the opening Betfair Novices' Hurdle, a race the steady won with Sporting John back in 2020.


Meanwhile, French Ship, another of the Minehead operation's leading lights, is likely to evaluate the waters in graded company at Haydock when heading to the north west for the ZYN Rendlesham Hurdle.


"He'll most likely go to instead of the Pertemps qualifier at Wincanton," continued White.


"It will be competitive but he remains in good type and he's run well at Haydock in the past, so there's no reason not to be thinking that way.


"He's in terrific kind and schooled over a number of hurdles on Tuesday early morning. We couldn't be better with him and delighted to see how he gets on."